Radio Shack, Astana riders concerned about narrow Paris-Nice road.

According to riders who have looked at the Paris-Nice race map provided by the organizers, there’s a major and potentially dangerous section of the race course.

Close examination of the map shows a nice wide yellow road until the riders reach Mende. However, the stretch between Mende and Pernes-Les-Fountaines suddenly narrows precipitously.

“I am concerned, it appears skinny,” said Johan Bruyneel of Radio Shack. “A nice wide yellow mark is good, but then the yellow line gets as thin as a pencil mark. Can the riders pass through — or the team cars?”

Giuseppe Martinelli, the director sportif of Astana, was also concerned. “It is crazy. We cannot jeopardize Alberto on this tiny yellow line. I don’t know what the organizers are thinking. There is no respect for the safety of the riders,” said Martinelli.

A source at Armaury Sports, which runs Paris-Nice, insisted the narrow thin yellow line was just a map graphic that had no relationship to the actual width of the real road.